Help! Do I have ghetto-itis?

In A Raisin in the Sun, we learn early on that the Youngers operate on a dysfunctional familial level. The "tired" furniture attempts to bring "care and love and even hope" and disguise the "weariness" of the residence, but it does none except exposes the Youngers' desire for a rich-white life. It's apparent that the "acute ghetto-itis" from chronic racism and sexism, created by an unjust system and perpetuated by an unjust society, has long-lasting symptoms on society's most vulnerable members.

Walter, pressured by the role of men to earn money to provide for his family, complains that his wife doesn't "understand about building" him up and making him "feel like [...] somebody." This exposes the fragility of Walter's masculinity and his inability to "be the man" in the family. When confronted by the reality of his aspirations, Walter threatens to "look for peace" outside of his home, escaping his responsibility of curing the dysfunctional home setting.

Ruth, pressured by the role of women to attend to domestic matters, is restricted by her identity of a "colored woman." She claims she "would rather be living in Buckingham Palace," in part mocking the futility of Walter's desires but also revealing her frustration at the entrapment of her current domestic and financial crisis. However, Ruth takes refuge in repetitively making breakfast and ironing clothes, demonstrating her fear of wading beyond the role of a colored woman.

It becomes evident that racism and sexism do not function individually. Rather, they work quite well in tandem to maintain a rigid socioeconomic framework, of which members functioning within the frame find it difficult to escape the societal template.